Rhode Island-Oil Industry Climate Feud Stays in State Court (2)

Rhode Island can pursue climate-related claims against oil and gas companies in state court, the First Circuit ruled Thursday in a setback the industry has already vowed to challenge.

The appellate panel rejected arguments from Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., and others that said the case raised federal issues and therefore belonged in federal court. The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit follows similar decisions in other circuits that allowed local governments’ climate cases to proceed in state courts.

Industry lawyers have repeatedly pushed for federal venue in more than a dozen climate ...